The legendary music composer has composed musical scores for over 331 movies

One of the seminal music directors of the Indian film industry, music director and composer R D Burman, was one of the most beloved and admired composer in Bollywood. Son of the legendary music director Sachin Dev Burman, Rahul was fondly referred to as Pancham and started his journey with Chhote Nawab (1961).

From the 1960s to the 1990s, RD Burman has composed musical scores for over 331 movies. Mainly active in the Hindi film industry as a composer, he also provided vocals for a few of compositions. RD Burman did major work with Asha Bhosle (his wife) and Kishore Kumar. Together, they recorded many memorable tunes and staged many live performances.

Burman died on January 4, 1994 at the age of 54. He served as an influence to the next generation of Indian music directors, and his songs continue to be popular in India even after his death.

Incorporating a wide range of influences from several genres in his scores, RD Burman has been credited with revolutionizing Bollywood music. He popularised electronic rock in many of Rajesh Khanna-starrer youth love stories. He often mixed disco and rock elements with Bengali folk music. According to Douglas Wolk, RD Burman “wrapped sugary string swoops around as many ideas as he could squeeze in at once”.

RD Burman was influenced by Western, Latin, Oriental and Arabic music, and incorporated elements from these in his own music. He also experimented with different musical sounds produced from methods such as rubbing sand paper and knocking bamboo sticks together.

He blew into beer bottles to produce the opening beats of Mehbooba, Mehbooba. Similarly, he used cups and saucers to create the tinkling sound for the song Churaliya Hai from the film Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973). For Satte Pe Satta (1982), he made the singer Annette Pinto gargle to produce a background sound.

Remembering music legend R D Burman on his 75th birth anniversary, we take a look at some of his greatest hits and our all time favourites.

The Nightingale of India plans a new TV reality show only judges will select talent, without audience voting

At 83, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar has launched her music label LM MUSIC, and also plans to introduce a reality show with a new voting pattern. The idea, she says, is not to make money, but to promote fresh talent. “I have always been a singer. With this new music label, I don’t intend to just make money. I want to promote new talents, who can genuinely sing well and are looking for a break,” said Lata in an interview.

She has major plans for the same. “I am planning to come up with a singing reality show where there will be some well-known and experienced judges. I am looking at a new way for this show, where there will be no audience voting and it will be only the judges who will choose the winners. This is what I am planning, but let us see how things fall in place,” said the veteran, who has been in the industry for the past seven decades.

Lata, whose younger sister Asha Bhosle was on the judges panel of Indian Idol 6, is upset with how deserving candidates sometimes lose out on their golden chance due to public voting. She admits it is is one of the reasons she has stayed away from reality shows all this while. “I have been watching many reality shows, where because of the public voting, there is only one winner and the other good singers miss the opportunity. Unfortunately, I don’t see any of these singers, who got the platform of the reality show, getting a perfect break. This is very sad,” she rued.

In 1996, Lata was part of a music reality show Meri Awaaz Suno, in which she was among the judges who chose young and talented Sunidhi Chauhan without any voting system. “I can still recall a long time back, Madan Mohan, Pandit Jasraj and I had judged a show and we chose Sunidhi Chauhan as the winner. At that time, we had no public voting. Now see where the girl has gone and she has proved herself,” said the singer, known for evergreen numbers like Aaja re pardesi, Kahi deep jale kahi dil, Beeti na bitaai raina, Tere bina zindagi se and Tere bina jiya jaaye na.

The living legend unveiled her music label in Mumbai on January 13. As part of the same, she is also launching an album. Lata says it is the perfect time to come up with such a project. “Earlier it never struck me to come up with a music label. Now when I have the time, I decided to do so. We are launching six albums, which are a mix of Sufi and spirituality,” she said.

Further on, LM Music will launch albums featuring numbers by Lata herself, as well as by talents that she will handpick personally.

While the dearly beloved playback singer enters the 80th year of her life, she readies herself to embrace a new role

Born on September 8, 1933, Asha Bhosle is all set to embrace the 80th year of her life with open arms. The versatile singer, who is currently making headlines as the judge ofSur Kshetra on Sahara One, was recently one of the most loved judges of Indian Idol 6 for her sensible comments.

Ashaji started her career as a playback singer with Chala chala nav bala in the Marathi film Majha Bal (1943) at the tender age of 10 to support her family. But she first tasted success with BR Chopra’s Naya Daur (1957), in which she sang Maang ke saath tumhara, Saathi haath badhana and Uden jab jab zulfein teri.

But by the 1980s Asha taai’s voice was slotted as one of the most versatile, and one that was most suited for cabarets and pop numbers. And it was in 1980 that she married renowned music composer Rahul Dev Burman aka Pancham da.

And guess what! After all these years of being behind the camera and being voice of famous actors, now it’s Asha taai’s turn to step into the limelight. And do you know how? Ashaji is all set to play the role of an old lady, lovingly called Maaee, in the movie of the same name. this one revolves around the core concept of old age homes. And to celebrate taai’s entry into this new phase of her life, the Bollywood music fraternity paid tribute to Asha Bhosle on September 5. Those present at the event included Shaan, Salim Merchant, Suresh Wadkar, Sukhwinder Singh and Shankar Mahadevan, who performed some of Ashaji’s hit numbers.

Talking about her debut movie on the occasion Asha taai said, “It is a very emotional film and it is the story of every middle class elderly woman. The audience will identify with the film and I hope they like my acting.”

We’ll be waiting eagerly for your movie, Asha taai. And apart from wishing you a very happy and fun filled birthday, BollywoodLife also wishes you all the love and luck for your new venture. Cheers!

The winner of Indian Idol 6 also got a car, a bike, a record company contract, life insurance, and, of course, the trophy

It was a tough call – three boys, all from Punjab, all excellent singers with a great audience connect. But it is Vipul Mehta from Amritsar, who bagged the Indian Idol 6 title in Mumbai on Saturday night at a glittering grand finale.

The 21-year-old pipped Devendra Pal Singh, 17, and Amit Kumar, 20, for the winner’s trophy, a cash prize of Rs 50 lakh from Sony channel, a Nissan Micra car, a Suzuki Hayate bike, Rs. 3 lakh from Max Life Insurance and a contract to record his own music album.

Mehta was on top of the world when Kareena Kapoor along with filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar announced his name for the winner’s position. The actor was here to promote her film Heroine. “I am really very happy. I thank god for bringing me where I stand today. I would like to thank the audience too for supporting me. I am overwhelmed to see my grandfather’s dream coming true,” said an emotional Mehta after the win.

Mehta had earlier also participated in singing reality show Voice of India – Season 2 in 2008, but couldn’t make it to the top three. This time he was lucky. He faced stiff and neck-to-neck competition as both the other contenders had equally powerful, melodious and heartwarming voices. The young and talented singers displayed their ability to sing all genres during the show, but there had to be one winner.

The finale was a starry affair with judges Anu Malik, Salim Merchant, Sunidhi Chauhan and Asha Bhosle, who were cheering for all the contestants. While Sunidhi, Salim and Asha performed with the three contestants, Sunidhi and Asha also enthralled audience with their standalone performances.

Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra added to the star power as they came to promote their forthcoming film Barfi! on the Indian Idol 6 sets. The finalists paid tribute to the three generations of Bollywood’s Kapoor clan. While Amit sang Raj Kapoor’s song Kehta hai joker, Devender sang Rishi’s Bachna ae haseeno and Vipul crooned Ranbir’s Saaddaa haq. Cousins Ranbir and Kareena came separately on the show, which was shot at Film City in Goregaon, Mumbai.

And we wonder about this, since she has been asked to do so by Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtrian Navnirman Sena (MNS). Here’s why

We look forward to judge sahiba Asha Bhosle’s comments on every episode of Indian Idol 6, because she’s one woman who can feel the pulse of music perfectly. And looks like Asha tai is now hooked to her role as judge of singing reality shows.

So while the sixth season of Indian Idol is nearing its end, Ashaji is all set to hop on to the next production – Sur Kshetra on Colors. She will be sharing the judge’s panel with Runa Laila from Pakistan. Why? Because this time it’s a battle of surs between Indian and Pakistani singers. Whoa! Now doesn’t that remind you of a show on NDTV Goodtimes called NDTV Foodistan: India Vs Pakistan Food Fight?

While on the one hand Asha Bhosle was happy to be judging yet another reality show, on the other, Raj Thackeray was sitting there with a frown on his face because – no points for guessing this – the show included Pakistani nationals, those people from across the border that he for some reason considers bad ‘uns. Uh-ho! Such truce topics really do not go down well with MNS, right?

So just to voice their protest, the folks from the MNS have requested the makers – TV channels Sahara One and Colors – to refrain from airing the show. They have even sent a letter to Asha tai requesting her to avoid participating in the show.

Do you know how Ashaji responded? “I am a proud Maharashtrian and I really love Raj Thackeray. I also know that he too loves me and listens to my songs at home. However, I am no politician, I am just a singer and a family person. Between my music and family, I don’t have the time for all this. Only humans have the ability to respect other humans.” Well said, tai.

But even as we hope that the matter is resolved quickly so that we can watch Himesh Reshammiya and Atif Aslam’s teams batting it out musically, a nagging doubt lingers – will MNS succeed in preventing Sur Kshetra from going on air on Colors and Sahara One?

A recent poll conducted by Bollywoodlife shows that the lanky surd is the reigning favourite

The finale of Indian Idol 6 will see the three finalists – Amit Kumar, Devendra Singh and Vipul Mehta – battle it out for the title of India’s next singing sensation in the presence of cousins Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. And while we have seen Sunidhi Chauhan go gaga over her pet favourite Amit Kumar, it looks like the nation stands by Asha Bhosale and Lata Mangeshkar’s choice – Devendra Pal Singh. Yup, and that’s clearly what the poll reflects.

But hang on, while Singh emerged as a winner in the said poll, the results also reveal that the margin is very small – Devendra got 37.83 percent, Amit Kumar got 35.2 per cent and Vipul Mehta received 26.97 per cent votes. And wethinks that it only makes the competition a lot more interesting and the tables might turn any moment!

So going by the way the three have been performing, the suspense over the winner of Indian Idol 6 might last till the very last moment.

And we are told that it’s going to be one helluva session with Indian idol finalists -Vipul Mehta, Devendra Singh and Amit Kumar – standing up to the challenge of singing with experienced playback singers

The popular singing reality show, Indian Idol 6 is clearly increasing the tempo as it nears its finale. And so, the August 25, 2012 episode will showcase contestants Vipul Mehta, Devendra Singh and Amit Kumar jamming with known singers of the B-town – Benny Dayal, Shilpa Rao, Akruti Kakkad and Shweta Pandit. Whoa!

What’s more, birdies who were present on the sets during the shoot of this episode say that Vipul Mehta and Shilpa Rao will pair up for the song Khuda jaane from Bachna Ae Haseeno, Shraddha Sharma and Devendra Singh for Pehli pehli baar baliye from Sangharsh, Amit Kumar and Akriti Kakkar for Marjaani from Billu Barbar and Benny Dayal will croon to Tarkeebein from Band Baaja Baraat. Now that sounds like fun, right?

We hear that the experienced singers thoroughly enjoyed singing with the contestants and were a tad bit surprised with their voice quality.

But even though the finalists of Indian Idol 6 are earning brownie points for their mesmerising voices, we all know that there’s space for only one place at the top. So who do you think will win the title?

Pssst…we are not talking about a singing competition here

Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor have made it amply clear to filmmakers that they would never ever pair up on the big screen, at least not as lovers. And we do not blame them at all! After all, which cousins would do that, no?

But now the buzz is that they will make an appearance on the stage of Indian Idol 6. Why? To promote the Zoya Akhtar’s forthcoming movie, in which they reportedly play the role of siblings? But we found out something different. The Kapoor khandanis are doing it only to promote their respective movies – Kareena for Heroine and Ranbir for Barfi!. Ahem ahem.

Now that’s really tricky, no? Promoting two different movies on the same stage! It surely looks like another first in the world of filmi promotions. But why would one filmmaker share his limelight with another? Is the proverbial lack of funds to be blamed? Well, wethinks that’s not the case here.

In fact, it’s an intelligent move on the part of Madhur Bhandarkar and Anurag Basu, ‘coz not many have witnessed the chemistry between these two stars. And getting them together would actually help create strong ripples on the small screen.

But there’s one li’l niggling doubt that’s worrying us. If RK is to promote Barfi!, he might have to play deaf and dumb, as opposed to the glamorous and mouthy Bebo from Heroine. Tch tch! So does that mean it’s an unfavourable proposal for the Barfi! makers? We hope not.

But what do you think, readers? Will Kareena overshadow Ranbir during this event?

The Dabangg Khan of B-town shows off his generous heart, again!

It happened on the day when Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif landed on the sets of Indian Idol 6 to promote their upcoming movie Ek Tha Tiger. For Amit Kumar, a contestant on the show, it was dream come true because Sallu bhai’s posters had adorned the walls of his salon in his hometown Amritsar.

So overwhelmed was he by the presence of his idol on the sets that Kumar sung a series of songs from Salman Khan’s movies and the Robinhood of B-town was impressed.

“Salman asked Amit about his love for bikes since his early teenage years. And when Amit was explaining about how he went to school on his friend’s cycle and how eventually his father bought him a bike, Salman suddenly stood up, took out the keys to a brand new Suzuki Hayate and threw them at Amit. The bog was so happy that he became completely speechless at this act of generosity. All he was seen doing was smiling from ear to ear,” a birdie revealed. Whoa! How typical of Salman, no?

But we are not complaining, not even one teeny-weeny bit. ‘Coz after all, we do love Salman for his famous golden heart, right?

The Padma Vibhushan vocalist will test the participants on how well they are able to grasp the nuances of Indian classical music

Indian Idol 6 is taking its music seriously. After roping in Asha Bhosle as a judge for the gala rounds, the show will have Pandit Jasraj judging the classical round. The six remaining contestants will have to showcase their classical music skills today in the gala round, and that too in front of the eminent vocalist tonight (August 3). The Padma Vibhushan awardee is one of the most renowned singers of our country today and has made us proud on an international stage. The contestants will have to be at their best to impress him. And that they do.

We hear that Pandit Jasraj will applaud Vipul Mehta’s rendition of the Joog raag, Ritika Raj’s command of raag Ahir Bhairav and Devendra Pal Singh’s performance of raag Yaaman. He will also encourage Poorvi Koutish after she performs raag Dhanashree. As for the other two contestants, well, we’ll not kill all the suspense for you! We wonder though, if any of them dared to sing raag Malhar, considering the country is facing a drought.